Labor Market Information Center

2015 Annual Summary

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Summary of 2015 Trends

Number of Covered Workers

The number of employees covered by unemployment insurance in 2015 was 416,016 workers. This represents an increase of 1.2 percent from 2014. This chart indicates that nine supersector industries showed worker gains while two supersector industries decreased during 2015. In 2015, the number of covered wage and salaried workers equaled 95.9 percent of South Dakota's wage and salaried workers. Covered workers are counted at their place of work. A person who works for more than one covered employer is counted at each job.

Average Number of Covered Workers
by Ownership and Supersector

2014

2015

Percent Change

Private Ownership

Natural Resources and Mining

5,891

6,215

5.5%

Construction

21,261

22,201

4.4%

Manufacturing

42,389

42,592

0.5%

Trade, Transportation and Utilities

84,879

86,554

2.0%

Information

6,056

5,884

-2.8%

Financial Activities

29,254

29,160

-0.3%

Professional and Business Services

30,246

30,672

1.4%

Education and Health Services

63,120

63,950

1.3%

Leisure and Hospitality Services

45,420

46,137

1.6%

Other Services

10,610

10,712

1.0%

Total Private Ownership

339,126

344,077

1.5%

Public Administration

Federal Government

11,078

11,108

0.3%

State Government

14,778

14,789

0.1%

Local Government

45,956

46,043

0.2%

Total Government

71,812

71,939

0.2%

Statewide Total

410,938

416,017

1.2%

Data subject to revision.
Produced by the Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annual Pay of Covered Workers

Annual pay reflects total compensation paid to covered workers in the form of wages, salaries, bonuses, commission and overtime pay during the year. Annual pay is calculated by dividing total payroll by the average number of workers. The statewide annual pay for workers covered by unemployment insurance for 2015 was $40,181. This represents an increase of 3.9 percent from 2014.

Annual pay is affected by the number of hours worked and the rate of pay. Full-time workers normally have higher annual pay than part-time workers do. Many of the supersector industries with the lowest annual pay have a large percentage of part-time jobs. Industry specific annual pay is determined by the mix of full-time and part-time workers and high-paying and low-paying jobs. The leisure and hospitality supersector had the lowest annual pay at $15,565 because these types of businesses typically hire many part-time workers. Federal government workers had the highest annual pay at $61,943.

Annual Pay of Covered Workers
by Ownership and Supersector

2014

2015

Percent Change

Private Ownership

Natural Resources and Mining

$39,300

$40,451

2.9%

Construction

$42,890

$44,996

4.9%

Manufacturing

$44,503

$45,434

2.1%

Trade, Transportation and Utilities

$36,062

$37,043

2.7%

Information

$44,909

$45,850

2.1%

Financial Activities

$50,189

$53,505

6.6%

Professional and Business Services

$48,421

$51,000

5.3%

Education and Health Services

$45,055

$46,835

4.0%

Leisure and Hospitality Services

$14,553

$15,565

7.0%

Other Services

$28,205

$29,691

5.3%

Total Private Ownership

$38,627

$40,157

4.0%

Public Administration

Federal Government

$59,798

$61,943

3.6%

State Government

$45,413

$47,030

3.6%

Local Government

$31,894

$32,911

3.2%

Total Government

$38,981

$40,297

3.4%

Statewide Total

$38,689

$40,181

3.9%

Data subject to revision.
Produced by the Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.